Saturday, August 24, 2013

One of the best things about the office I work in is the awesome food days that occur. Food is a great work distraction. My husband required my kitchen skills this week for a such occasion, and I had just received a recipe on Pinterest that was begging for some bacon to be added. They were ooey. They were gooey... and they had bacon. What else could you ask for? (Plus other Baconfiles brought in Hash brown Bacon-Weave Cups and Chocolate-Covered Bacon so this was a nice addition, or so I'm told).

Grease a 9-x-13 inch pan or 24 muffin tins using butter or Vegetable Spray. In a large pot, over low heat add butter and let melt.Add marshmallows, stirring into the butter. Let them melt until almost all of the marshmallows are in liquid form, add maple syrup.Once melted, take off of the heat. Add cereal, bacon and waffle cone pieces. Mix until all the ingredients are equally distributed (as best you can). Pour into rectangular pan or equally split mixture between the muffin tins. Let firm up for an hour or so by placing in the refrigerator to cool. Cut into squares (if you used a rectangular pan) and enjoy.

Saturday, August 17, 2013

Today bacon loved potatoes. I've been making a lot of the sweeter bacon recipes, so I decided to go savory. Took potatoes and quartered them, wrapped half a slice of uncooked bacon around the spud and secured with a toothpick. 350 degrees for 45 minutes. Perfect accompaniment to slow-smoked pork spare ribs.

But tonight's show stopper recipe is something I just put together, after hearing about the cookie at work. My friend Jon told me all about these delicious Potato Chip Cookies he had a couple of weeks ago. Of course, while he's telling me all about them, all I can think of is "I wonder how they will taste with Bacon?"

Bacon Potato Chip Cookies

6 Slices of bacon, cooked

3/4 cup butter (1 1/2 sticks), softened

1/2 cup sugar

1 tsp vanilla

1/4 tsp salt

1 1/2 cup all purpose flour

3/4 cup crushed potato chips

3/4 cup crushed toffee bits (or butterfinger)

1/4 cup sugar (for rolling)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place bacon on a cooling rack over a cookie sheet in a cold oven, and cook for 20-25 minutes, our until desired doneness. Remove from rack and drain on a paper towel. Once drained and cool, chop fine.

Beat the butter, sugar, vanilla and salt together with an electric mixer until fluffy. On low speed, beat in flour until just incorporated. Stir in Bacon, Potato Chips and Toffee. Make balls of cookie dough (about 1 tbsp) and roll them in sugar. Place cookie balls on buttered baking sheet and flatten with the bottom of a glass (about 1/4 inch thick). bake for 12-15 minutes or until the edges are golden brown. Don't cool too long on baking sheet, the toffee will stick.

Sunday, August 11, 2013

It's that time of year, where the farmer's markets are harvesting their squash and zucchini. And the zucchini's I've seen so far this summer are HUGE! I'm a big fan of sneaking veggies into other foods, like breads and cakes. Add chocolate and even better, so why not add Bacon?!? I adapted a zucchini bread recipe that I had used in the past. Results are in, and taste testers approve. So if you are looking for a way to sneak some veggies in, or just trying to get rid of the veggies you're growing, try it out.

DirectionsPreheat the oven to 350°F, put slices of bacon on a cooling rack over a cookie sheet, bake for 20 minutes or until desired crispiness. Move bacon to paper towel-lined plate to drain. Once cooled, chop bacon fine and set aside.

Lightly grease muffin tins or papers.

In a large mixing bowl, beat the eggs, honey, oil, sugar, and vanilla until smooth. Add the salt, baking soda, baking powder, cocoa and flour, mixing until well combined.

Stir in the zucchini, chocolate chips and finely chopped bacon.

Pour the batter into the prepared muffin tins or papers. Bake the muffins for 40-45 minutes, until a toothpick or cake tester inserted into the center will come out clean.

Remove the muffins from the oven, and let it cool for 5 to 10 minutes before turning them out onto a rack to cool.

Sunday, August 4, 2013

Found this in my internet trolling this morning....Did you know that Bacon can tell your future. No! Not your future of Heart Disease....but the mysteries of the future are in the palm of your hand, and Bacon can show you the way.

We went to the new Monroe County Fair yesterday and enjoyed the livestock, the food, and the Large tractors. My husband had a deep-fried Snickers bar, but had they offered this below, I would've emptied my wallet for them...

This week's recipe was a HUGE success. I've never personally tackled making a cheesecake before, so why not try something new? And how do we make things that are awesome, better people? We add Bacon. (This is the theme afterall). The Cheesecake was so good, in fact, I sent out a public plea on facebook to come over and help me finish it. It was so rich and filling. I suggest small pieces when you make/share it.

1. Candy your bacon: Cook the bacon on a cooling rack over a cookie sheet. Places slices down and sprinkle with brown sugar and cinnamon. Put bacon into a cold oven and cook at 350 for 20-25 minutes until done. Drain Bacon on a paper towel, and then chop fine into pieces once cooled.

2. Make the crust: In a food processor, chop the almonds until almost a powder. Butter your springform pan on the bottom and sides. Toss in the almonds and then gently shake to coat buttered areas. Wrap the outside of the pan with 3 layers of heavy duty foil.

3. Make the cheesecake: Beat cream cheese and sugar in large bowl until smooth. Beat in butter, then eggs, one at a time, until just blended. Beat in bourbon vanilla, crushed toffee, and candied bacon bits. Slowly pour the cheese mixture into your prepared pan.

4. Bake the cake: Place springform pan in large roasting pan. Add enough hot water to come halfway up sides of the pan. Bake uncovered until filling is puffed around edges and moves slightly in center when pan is gently shaken, about 1 hour 10 minutes. Remove pan from water; remove foil. Place hot cheesecake uncovered in refrigerator overnight.

5. Serve: Now that your cake is cooled completely, run a butter knife around the sides of the pan. Release the spring and invert cake onto a plate. Garnish with a drizzle of caramel sauce or chopped up toffee and candied bacon.